


Ant Baby of Mine

by WildcatPacer



Category: Ant-Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2020-01-11 17:17:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18428561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildcatPacer/pseuds/WildcatPacer
Summary: I watched Ant-Man and the Wasp recently, and I wanted to write a little thing about Hope, Scott and Cassie's relationship. Also ties in a little with my preparation for Endgame - by no means a prediction, but all the same, please enjoy!





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: New Mommy?**

Hope van Dyne snapped off the helmet of her partner, Scott Lang, cradling him in her arms along the San Francisco pier. "Scott?"

A slight pause. Scott then woozily opened his eyes, focusing in on Hope's face. Hope let out something halfway between a laugh and a sob of relief. Scott grinned almost stupidly and uttered one word. "Hey."

Overcome, Hope grabbed his face and pushed her lips against his in a desperate kiss. If those two years apart had taught her anything, it was that trusting her heart to someone else wasn't always bad. Scott just might be the right partner for her, in all respects. Scott didn't fight Hope's kiss, returning it enthusiastically. Oh, how he had missed her!

* * *

In the weeks after Janet van Dyne's return from the Quantum Realm and Scott's release from house arrest, the Ant-Man and the Wasp embarked for the second time on a romantic relationship. This usually involved private dinner dates, cuddle sessions, dates with little Cassie, wild lovemaking in bed, then more dates, stealing kisses on missions, and even more time with Cassie.

Hope quickly came to understand that she was not getting just Scott. She was getting Cassie in the bargain too. The little 9-year-old was both a relaxing and an overwhelming presence all at once. Having grown up without her mother for most of her life, Hope had concluded that she was rubbish in interacting with children. And up until now, the rare moment when she had to engage with a child had borne this conclusion out. Ever the scientist, Hope had never felt the need to re-examine this finding or hypothesis... until now.

Most kids that Hope knew were loud and cranky and messy. But Cassie was different. She was well-mannered, bubbly. Extremely low maintenance. And from the way she smiled to her sense of humor, she was her father's daughter. What's more, she was quite mature for her age, especially when it came to the situation of her father dating someone. Scott tried to put that off on Cassie having to deal with a stepfather when she was much younger, but Hope praised her nonetheless. Not many kids could handle that much change. Whenever Cassie was at Scott's place on the weekend, Hope felt more and more drawn to the pair, to the point that she spent more of her free time there than at the Pym lab.

Like this one Saturday evening, another movie night with Scott and Cassie. Scott had ushered his daughter upstairs so she could prepare for bed, and so that he could escort his girlfriend out and have a moment alone with her.

"Are you sure you can't stay?" Scott whined adorably, sounding more like his child than a grown man. "Cassie won't mind!"

No, Cassie probably wouldn't mind, and the thought was tempting, but ever-practical Hope was not about to risk corrupting a little girl's innocence to merely satisfy her craving for pleasure. She smiled softly, more reluctant to leave than she had ever been. "I have to go check on my parents." It was a weak excuse, even she knew it, and Scott probably did too. But he left her on the front stoop with a lingering peck on the lips, a smiled "Good night," and then closed the door behind him.

She wasn't even halfway down the stone steps before she found herself knocking on his door. Scott opened it after barely one rap.

And then she was in his arms, as he bent her back almost into a dip as his searing kiss conquered her lips. Throwing her arms about his neck, tangling her fingers into his hair, Hope gave in, moaning, as the superhero couple staggered back into the house. Someone's foot kicked the door close - they couldn't tell who - before Scott and Hope stumbled up the stairs and quickly found themselves in Scott's bedroom...

* * *

"Oh, god..."

"Oh, yes..."

"Oh, Gooooooooooddddddddd..." Hope pathetically let out something between a whimper and wail.

"Yes... yes..."

"Hmmm... Scott..."

They didn't even make it to the bed. Hope was instead spread-eagled on the hardwood floor beside it, squirming and quivering as Scott feasted on her femininity, plunging his tongue between the petals of her sex. Unable to stand it any longer, Hope dragged her lover up her body and planted a wild kiss on his lips, lining him up with her entrance. He plunged in without mercy, and began to thrust. And thrust. And thrust. Hope trembled and convulsed underneath him, and only Scott's lips sealed to hers prevented her from letting out a scream. A scream of glee.

At last, with a cry, Hope came all around him, twitching violently. She breathlessly waited for Scott to speed up, hoping with all her heart that she could make him come too, but instead, the mood was shattered by a little girl's call down the hall:

"DADDY! Can you tuck me in?"

Scott huffed out a breath and pulled out, stumbling around to put on at the very least a bathrobe, but Hope stopped him. "I'll do it."

Scott blinked, taken aback, but looking grateful too. Hope quickly redressed and composed herself before exiting down the hall to Cassie's bedroom.

"Hope?" Cassie blinked. "I thought you left already."

"Forgot my purse," Hope lied smoothly. "Your daddy's washing up. Come on, let's get you in bed." She turned down the coverlet and Cassie crawled in amongst the sheets. Tucking her in, Hope dared to press a kiss to the child's forehead - something she had not yet allowed herself to do. "Good night, Cass."

"Hope?"

"Yes, Cassie?"

"... Will you be my new mommy?"

The question caught Hope off guard and she was stunned for a few seconds. She and Scott had never talked about marriage - as far as she was concerned, that conversation was months, if not at least a year, away. Struggling with how to answer, she decided to punt, by turning the question back on the little girl.

"Do you want me to be?"

Cassie was quiet for a minute, burying her face into the ugly bunny that Scott had gifted her one birthday. "Yes," she affirmed shyly. "If you married my daddy, that would make me happy."

Hope let out an involuntary gasp. Her eyes welled up. "You... mean that?"

Cassie beamed and nodded. "Yes. Daddy loves you, and I love you too."

Was this really happening? Had she been hit in the head too hard on a mission? Was she daydreaming? "I... love you too, Cassie."

"Does that mean I can be your flower girl?" she squealed.

Hope nearly choked. She hadn't expected that query, either. But Cassie deserved an answer. In that moment, Hope allowed herself to finally picture a future for her and Scott. Being a wife to Scott and a stepmother to Cassie. Having a goofy, adoring husband to come home to and a house full of her own children. Her heart warmed when she did not immediately bat away the image. She didn't dismiss it at all. And that was enough for Hope to give out an answer. "Yes, honey. You can be the flower girl at our wedding."  _The wedding that hasn't happened yet, and for which Scott has not yet proposed to me_ , she had to tell herself. She found herself turning out the light, closing the door behind her, and wandering in a daze back into Scott's bed and arms.

* * *

They were tangled, naked in sheets, as Hope slowly stirred against the sunlight streaming into their bedroom. No, Scott's bedroom, she corrected herself. Then, her rebellious and fantasizing mind tried out the bold pronoun again.  _Our_ bedroom. She smiled, liking the sound of it.

Her phone on the nightstand buzzed to life, and she snatched it up, only realizing just then that it was her mother's new number and that she was probably in for it. Hank had bought Janet her first cellphone and she had become fascinated with the technology, like a little kid who gets their first iPhone. That was the version that Janet had wanted, though Hank had insisted with a grumble that a Samsung Galaxy was much more reliable. Hope chuckled at the memory. God, they were such  _nerds_.

"Hello?"

"Hope, thank goodness! Are you OK? You didn't come home last night."

"I stayed over at Scott's," Hope explained, feeling the blush coming to her cheeks. "It was last minute."

"Ah," Janet clucked her tongue knowingly, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Sleep well?"

 _Dear God, yes!_  Hope thought, recalling how she and Scott had made wild love until they could no longer move. She blushed again, and felt compelled to admit something she never had before. She thanked her lucky stars that, for the first time in decades, her mother was there to lend an ear. "Mom, I've... I've fallen in love."

There was a slight pause on the other end of the line, before Janet urged her on breathlessly. "And?"

"And..." Hope bit her lip. "It's wonderful. Not just with Scott. His little girl... I've fallen for her, too. It scares me, a little."

"Really? How so?"

Hope bit her lip. "I tucked Cassie into bed last night, and she asked me if I was going to be her new mommy, and were Scott and I getting married, and could she be our flower girl..."

Janet chuckled. "Sounds like you have the daughter's approval."

"That's just it. Even if Scott and I do marry someday, what if I can't be a good mother to Cassie? You know how bad I am with kids! With this... relationship, I could fail two people instead of one, and that's more than I can bear!"

"So don't fail them," Janet advised simply. "Hope, it is clear that you have found something - someone - you want. So fight for it, the same you would on any mission. As to being a good mother... first of all, Cassie already  _has_  a mother. And a stepfather, too, so Scott tells me. There are plenty of other people already looking out for that little girl's best interests; what's the harm with you being one more? Parenting is a team effort - between two and sometimes more people. Second of all, being a superhero and being a parent is not automatically easy. Your father and I were scared, but we developed a bond with you that could never be broken."

"But I never... carried Cassie. Or brought her into the world, or nursed her! That was all Maggie!" She had met Cassie's mother and Scott's ex after she tagged along with Scott to pick up Cassie one weekend. The new Mrs. Paxton was a lovely lady.

"Does that matter?" Janet quipped. "It shouldn't. If Scott and Maggie think it's OK, you are free to develop your own bond with Cassie, just as she has one with her parents and her stepfather. Love is the first building block to creating a family. Blood is just the mortar - a mortar you don't always need."

Hope dared to smile in thought. Although her mother's metaphor was a little unique, in a way, it made a certain kind of sense. "Thanks, Mom."

"Anytime, sweetie. Now give your man and that little girl a squeeze for me and hurry home! I'll cover for you, but I can't make any promises that your dad won't find out!"

Hope laughed as she hung up and began to dress.  _Hank is going to be apoplectic_ , she thought. Nudging Scott awake, she kissed him goodbye rather indecently. "Say goodbye to Cassie for me," she whispered against his lips, before slipping out of the townhouse.


	2. Searching

**Chapter 2: Searching**

The quantum tunnel set up in the back of Luis's brown taco van spat Scott out onto the roof. Skidding across the pavement, the Ant-Man got to his feet, cursing and swearing.

"About damn time, guys! If that was some kind of practical joke, it was not -" he snapped the helmet off at that moment to see -

Hope, Hank and Janet were not there. None of them were there. The console was entirely deserted. All that remained was the technology and equipment - and, as Scott circled the console, he noticed, three separate piles of gray flakes...

"What the hell...?"

A sudden noise made Scott turn towards the skyline and horizon. A few buildings ahead, he could see someone in a very familiar white suit racing across the rooftops. "Ghost? Ava?" She didn't respond, but her disappearing presence was enough to make Scott suspect that she had pulled him out of the Quantum Realm.

Ava had pulled him out of the Quantum Realm after, for one reason or another, none of the Pyms/van Dynes had been able to. Something was wrong. Scott's eyes went wide with fear.

"Cassie!"

He took off through the lab, noting with chills how there were even more piles of gray flakes throughout the rooms. A smaller group of ants remained, chittering and wandering aimlessly, but there were about fifty percent less of them than Scott remembered. Usually, the Pym lab was teeming with large ants working on various projects.

He reached the street, finding the large gray work van, and Hank's Mini Hot Wheels case in the back of it. Making sure to shrink down the lab and climbing in, he set a course for 840 Sunrise Boulevard.

From the outside, the Paxton residence looked normal in the dapple sunlight. But when Scott got in with little difficulty, he was unnerved by the silence. He treaded lightly through the house. "Mags? Jim?"

No answer. Turning to his long dormant burglary skills, Scott cased the house. He was far from reassured by what he found.

One pile of gray flakes in the kitchen. A second in Paxton's office just off the den. A third in the television room. That was when Scott realized - there was no chittering...

"Antony?" he called for Cassie's pet ant, the one that had accidentally been enlarged in size during his fight with Darren Cross. The pet ant did not appear. Antony would never be anywhere without Cassie. That was when Scott started to panic. Forgetting to be careful, he tore through the house and advanced to the second floor, taking the stairs three at a time. "Cassie? CASSIE! Cass-"

His voice trailed off as he nearly broke the door to his daughter's room down, jumping at the scream that emanated from the bed. Jumping back, he recognized his little girl and nearly collapsed in tears of relief.

"Daddy!" Cassie wept, flinging herself into his arms. "How come you're not disintegrated?"

Scott stiffened. "Disintegrated... peanut, what...?"

"We were all relaxing yesterday, and all of a sudden, Mommy and Jim and Antony all just turned in flakes and dust, right in front of me!"

Scott shook in horror. So that's what the piles of gray flakes were... oh dear God! And that meant... he had been in the Quantum Realm for over a day? Because Hank, Janet and Hope had been disintegrated.

But Cassie was still here, thank the Lord! And so was he. So what did  _that_  mean? Scott pursed his lips in determined thought and picked his little girl up. "Come on, peanut, we're getting out of here. We need to find answers."

Carrying Cassie out to the gray van - which Scott was disturbed by enough that he vowed to get that damn car a paint job the first chance he got - the Ant Man placed his daughter inside and sped off. He set a course for the first place he thought of: the Avengers compound.

* * *

The New Avengers facility was in upstate New York, so Scott proceeded to drive across country over the next several days. Father and daughter would drive the whole day, stopping only for eating/bathroom breaks, and then sleeping in Motel 6s at night. The hours dragged on. The roads seemed endless. Cassie got excited when they pulled into a McDonald's three days in (Paxton didn't allow her to eat fast food), but was otherwise quiet.

The pair had been driving for five days and four nights when Cassie could see the lights of a city in the distance as her father deftly navigated around the clustered area, driving them through a landscape of wooded trees.

"Where are we, Daddy?" Cassie yawned, leaning her head against the glassy pane of the car window, and looking like she was about to fall asleep any second. As if in answer, the headlights of the gray van illuminated a security gate. Scott pulled up, punched a code into a keypad out the driver's side window, and the gates parted, granting them access.

"We're here, peanut," Scott assured her, pulling up to illustrious facility. "We're here."

Cassie snapped awake, reinvigorated that the age-old question of Are We There Yet? had been answered in the affirmative. Pulling up to the facility, however, both Langs were disheartened to discover that the Avengers' homebase looked abandoned. There was old trash littered on the pavement, and the entire atmosphere held a foreboding gloom. Scott frowned. If there was one thing he had learned in his time as a superhero, it was that appearances could be deceiving. If there were any surviving Avengers out there, they might want their headquarters to  _appear_  abandoned. "Stay here," he ordered Cassie and exited the van, approaching something that he had worked with all of his adult life, and personally installed here: a security camera. Ringing the doorbell, Scott stood in front of the ceiling camera, making sure it captured him.

"Hi, uh, is anyone home? This is Scott Lang. We met a few years ago, at the airport? In Germany? I got really big. Ant-Man? Ant-Man, I know you know that! That's me! Can you buzz me in?..." His voice trailed off as the door finally opened and a head of blonde hair peeked out.

Scott almost didn't recognize Natasha Romanoff as she nearly ran him down in a fierce hug. "Scott! My God!" It was as if their tussle at the Leipzig had never happened.

Though a little startled, Scott hugged back. All those technicalities about who fought with which faction didn't matter anymore. Not now. "Hey, Nat." He turned back over his shoulder. "Peanut? Come on out; we're among friends!"

Cassie clambered out of the van, and Scott was pleased to notice that a little light returned to Natasha's eyes, along with a smile. "Who's this?"

"This is my daughter, Cassie," Scott picked the little girl up and introduced her. "I know this isn't exactly a daycare center, but she was all alone in her mother's house and we have nowhere else to go..."

Natasha held up a hand. "She's welcome. You both are." And she even took Cassie from Scott's arms. "Come on,  _varobushek_. Let's get you something to eat." The Black Widow led them inside the compound, weaving through room after room until coming to the main control center. Inside were around a dozen individuals, including a blonde, attractive woman Scott did not recognize. Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Clint Barton, James "Rhodey" Rhodes and Thor were all seated around a table. Nebula, Okoye, Wong and Rocket were present too. The mysterious blonde woman - whom Scott would later be introduced to as Captain Carol Danvers - remained off to one side.

From the way Tony Stark was advancing on the new arrivals, and from the look in his eyes, he was not pleased. "Lang! What the hell are you doing here, you son of a bitch? We're not babysitting your kid!" having clearly seen Cassie in Natasha's arms.

"Tony!" Natasha snapped admonishingly, her eyes warning. "All that bullshit doesn't matter anymore." In a display of just how much influence Black Widow wielded, Tony backed down, as Clint strode past him and hugged Scott. Then the archer bestowed an extra one for Cassie.

"You're lucky," Clint said low to Scott, his eyes sad. Scott's heart twinged. Whatever travesty had befallen Maggie, Hope and the rest of his loved ones had happened to Clint's family.

In a way, Scott could understand how Tony felt. None of the Avengers had any children except for himself and Clint. On that ride through the European countryside bound for Leipzig, Scott had learned that Clint had a boy, a girl about Cassie's age, and a brand-new baby son. Clearly, none of them had been spared from the Flaky-Dust fate, which Scott now learned had been caused by some Infinity Stone Snap from a purple dude called Thanos. A snap that wiped out fifty percent of all living creatures. However, that didn't mean that the Avengers had not lost friends and family. All had been affected.

Cassie's presence seemed to lift the survivors' spirits, as she was introduced to them one by one. Natasha, who had always wanted children but was unable to have them, seemed to not want to let Cassie out of her arms. The little girl seemed to represent hope in the coming fight. For her part, Cassie took a liking to all of them, even humbug Tony, and showed off the stuffed animal she brought. "Isn't he cute? I sleep with him at night!"

Rhodey nearly jumped a foot in the air and screamed. "That is the ugliest motherfucking rabbit I've ever seen!"

"Language," Steve warned automatically.

Thor, who hadn't been paying much attention to the conversation, stepped forward menacingly. "Don't insult the rabbit," he snarled, gesturing at Rocket.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Thor, not that rabbit!  _That_  rabbit!" Tony snapped, pointing to Cassie's toy.

"Language! People, please! There's a child present!" Steve begged.

A confused Bruce pointed at Rocket. "Um, guys... that isn't a rabbit," he said slowly.

"I'm not?" Rocket blinked.

Everyone groaned, even as Cassie giggled.

* * *

There was a spare storage room in the New Avengers facility, which Natasha ordered to be cleared and fashioned into a room for Cassie. Someone found a military cot for the girl to use as a bed. Even though he still didn't want Cassie there, there was little that Tony could do to stop Natasha or any of the others, who by now had all been charmed by the child.

By day, Scott trained with the surviving Avengers and taught them all about Hank's research and knowledge of the Quantum Realm, which would be the key for facing Thanos. By night, the young father slept at the foot of his daughter's cot.

Though Tony had been ramrodded into taking Cassie in, on one point he would not budge: where they were going, Cassie had to stay behind. As the father, Scott readily agreed, but he wanted his daughter to be guarded. Armed with a machine gun (and because of his close resemblance to a rabbit), Rocket was given the job.

All too soon, the night of the Avengers' departure into the Quantum Realm arrived. Scott had called ahead, and Luis - who had survived the Snap - drove the brown taco van containing the Quantum tunnel all the way to New York. Dave and Kurt were also alive and in tow; the three amigos would be tasked with operating the consoles.

Steve now stood at the door to Cassie's room. "Scott? It's time to leave," he prodded.

"Coming, Steve." Scott tenderly pushed back the bangs along Cassie's forehead, drinking his sleeping daughter in. It was uncertain as to whether he would see her again, but God willing, he would. Kissing her goodbye, he turned as Rocket approached his side.

"I'll watch over her, kid."

Scott paused at the door to gaze at Cassie one last time. Blowing her a kiss, he turned off the light and followed Steve out.


	3. I Love My Family

**Chapter 3: I Love My Family**

Scott stared across the littered battlefield, over the giant purple corpse of Thanos. People were reappearing out of thin air and coming back to life. And one of those people was the person he had missed more than anyone else.

Hope van Dyne drifted closer to him, peering at him as though he was from a dream. "It's... it's me," Scott choked up.

The couple rushed into each other's arms. Hope leapt into Scott's embrace, folding her limbs about him and kissing him furiously. While waiting in strange limbo for salvation, she had feared she would never see him or Cassie again. For weeks, she had searched among the disintegrated souls, hoping that maybe the father and daughter were some of the fallen. At the very least, they could have spent eternity together. It had agonized her to think that they would forever be apart.

"Where's... mmm... Cassie?" Hope gasped between desperate pecks.

"At the Avengers' compound. She's guarded and safe," Scott soothed. Setting his lover down gracefully, he captured her lips once. "Let's go home."

The surviving Avengers guided their comrades and loved ones down out of space, back through the Quantum Realm and into the restored, present timeline. And though there were so many things they all needed to say, the group barely spoke. Captain America led the whole tribe across the grassy plain where Sam Wilson and Scott had battled oh so long ago, on final approach to the compound. Across the expanse, Cassie and Rocket could be seen coming over the crest of a hill. Maggie broke into a run, Scott, Paxton and the Pyms close behind. "Cassie? Cassie!"

"Mom! Dad!" Cassie flung herself into her parents' arms. She squirmed when Maggie held her a little too long. "Grandpa Hank! Grandma Janet!" and she hugged Hope's parents as if she'd known them forever. When Cassie moved on to throw herself at Paxton's legs, Hank shot Scott a look.

"Grandpa?"

Scott grinned sheepishly. "I've told her quite a bit about you. All good things!"

"I don't mind," Janet laughed. "You know we already practically view Cassie as our grandchild."

"Please don't age me before my time," Hank grumbled. He looked horrified at the prospect of being a grand- _anything_.

Meanwhile, Cassie had glanced around Paxton to see Hope coming. "Hope!" She rushed for the Wasp, who promptly lifted her clean off the ground.

For Hope, everything else faded away. She kissed Cassie on her cheeks, her nose, her lips, all over her face. Hope buried her face in the girl's sweet-smelling hair. She was beside herself with relief.

"I love you so much!" Cassie chirped.

Tears clogged Hope's voice. "I love you, too," she croaked. " _So much._ " Nuzzling the little girl's nose, they broke apart.

Most everyone else was staring at Hope in abject disbelief. The cold, bitchy Hope van Dyne - melted into a proverbial puddle over a child. Only Natasha was smiling knowingly. Mortified, Hope's eyes sought out Maggie, as if to apologize, but Maggie just beamed her approval.

Scott, meanwhile, was gazing at the sight with his heart swelled. The image of his child clutched in the arms of his girlfriend looked so right that he blurted out:

"Will you marry me?"

Hope's mouth adorably dropped open. She and Cassie looked at each other, the little girl clutching at Hope's suit, eyes shining.

"Say Yes... oh, Hope, say Yes!"

Hope glanced back to Scott and recognizing that gaze full of love, she weakly smiled. "Yeah," she said, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

Scott grinned so wide, it nearly broke his face, as he sauntered over and took Hope in his arms. And with Cassie nestled between them, Scott and Hope embraced and kissed.

* * *

All of the Avengers and their associates were in attendance for Ant-Man and the Wasp's big day. Hank seemed to be holding himself in check at the prospect of walking his only daughter down the aisle. Natasha, Carol, Nebula and Maggie served as Hope's bridesmaids. Steve, Bruce, Clint and Luis served as Scott's groomsmen; in a rare gesture of magnanimity, Tony paid for everything.

Cassie literally skipped down the aisle as the flower girl, just as Hope had promised. And then came Hank down the aisle with Hope on his arm. He passed her off to Scott and the couple exchanged their rings. The minister blessed them and then announced, "Will Cassie Lang please step forward?"

Standing off to one side, Cassie came forward with a mask of deep confusion on her face. This hadn't been part of the rehearsal dinner! Instructed to stand so she was facing Hope, the bride knelt down, so that her skirts fanned out around her. Smiling sweetly, Hope caressed Cassie's face.

"Cassie, sweetie: look at me." Cassie did. "I know I'm not just marrying your dad. In a way, I'm marrying you because I am marrying into your family. I know I'm not your mother, unless you want me to be one. I would love just being your friend. I promise you that I will love you and protect you as long as there is breath in my body."

Cassie's eyes filled with tears and with a whimper, she hugged her stepmother. Then, she scurried back over to Natasha. Hope and Scott faced each other, ready to give their vows.

"We've come a long way to get here," Scott began. "I was lost for a long time, but then I found my Hope - literally and figuratively. And I realize that everything that came before you was just a stop, pointing me on my way into your loving arms. What a second chance - I don't intend to waste it."

By now, Hope was crying as she began her own vows. "Scott, I never thought I needed or wanted love... but then you broke into my house." The congregation chuckled. "You shrank and stole your way into my heart, and I'm going to make sure you never get out."

"I love you. I know it's banal compared to your wonderful words, but I love you." Holding his gaze, her eyes absolutely besotted, she pronounced with conviction, "I love my husband. I love my stepdaughter," and her eyes swiveled to Cassie even though that latter phrase had not been written in the vows.

Two minutes later, neither of those statements were any longer premature.

* * *

They were bathed in Hawaii moonlight, wrapped up in each other's naked, sweaty arms. The moon was beginning its descent in the sky. Rolling over, Hope checked the digital time on the nightstand. 3:15 AM.

"California's three hours ahead. She'll be getting up for school soon," she mused, tracing patterns along Scott's stomach as she rested her head on her husband's chest. She sighed. "Oh, our first moment of rest in almost three years, and all we can think about is our daughter."

She felt Scott jerk against her in surprise, and Hope sat up, registering his reaction. Her face flushed. "I'm sorry... I know I shouldn't be so... presumptuous, but..."

She was cut off as Scott kissed her so hard, he pressed her down into the mattress so he could straddle her. When they broke apart, his green eyes were clouded over with lust. "I freaking love how much you love my kid."

Hope blushed and looked down. "She's easy to love. Cassie's part of you..." A hand leaped to her mouth, and for a moment, Scott thought she was trying to hold back an emotional sob, but then she was pushing against him, begging to be let up. "Excuse me!" Hope squeaked and made a mad dash for the bathroom; soon, Scott could hear the sound of retching into the toilet. It was several minutes before his wife returned, holding a slip of paper in her hands. She was quivering, trembling, shaking.

"Oh my God... Oh my God! Scott!" She held the slip out to him, and he quickly sat up. A pregnancy test.

"Is that...? Are you...?"

Hope failed to hold back happy tears as they streamed down her cheeks. "Yes, I am."

A slight silence. And then, with a whoop, Scott sprang out of bed. Laughing, he picked Hope up and swirled her around. And when he set her down, the couple beamed into each other's eyes and shared a long, long kiss.

* * *

**Five Months Later**

Hope drummed a hand lazily along her baby bump as she busied herself at the sink, humming a little tune. Behind her, she felt Scott's arms encircle her, lacing her fingers with his. He dropped a kiss into her neck.

"Cassie will be here soon."

"Hmm," Hope purred contentedly. "I hope our baby's a girl, so that she can have a little sister."

Below them, a door opened and footsteps could be heard on the stairs. "Hello? Scott?" Maggie's voice echoed.

Cassie thundered up the steps in the lead. "Dad! Hope!" She flung herself into her father and stepmother's arms. Behind her, Maggie and Paxton came traipsing behind, watching with smiles as Cassie tentatively placed her hands on Hope's swollen belly. "Can I feel her?"

"She was kicking this morning. But I think she's sleeping, sweetie," Hope crooned. Cassie kissed her stomach as Scott moved to greet her mother and stepfather - a firm handshake for Paxton, a hug for Maggie. Maggie moved forward to embrace Hope.

"You're glowing!"

"I can't wait to help when the baby comes!" Cassie chirped.

Hope giggled. "I'll be glad to have you, Cassie - and the baby too!"

Cassie looked between her four parents, happy at how well they were interacting together. Soon, she would have a half sister, and a little brother by her mother and Paxton a few months behind. "I'm sorry our family's so complicated. I guess that's my fault."

The adults stared at her in shock. "Cassie..." Scott said slowly, kneeling before her. "We may be a complicated family, but we are all the better for it. We are all tied together because of you. Your mom and I..." he looked to Maggie. "We didn't work out. But you are the one thing we did right."

Hope watched the exchange smiling. She loved the way that Scott was with Cassie, and as she cradled her baby bump, it made her confident that he would make an excellent father to their own child.

All her life, Hope van Dyne Lang had been seeking to rebuild her family, and then make her own. Watching her husband and stepdaughter embrace, and then joining in the hug herself, Hope knew that she had finally found everything she wanted. A man who loved her, her unborn baby... and her first baby.


End file.
